Fading Dream
by Justice Ike
Summary: She could hope and dream. Hope for an eternity,and dream he might one day come back. "Never have I felt safer. Nothing could hurt me here...in a fading dream..."
1. Chapter 1

**Fading Dream Pt. 1**

**Here we go,another Metroid fanfic! Not oneshot this time.**

**

* * *

**

_She stumbled after him, begging for him to stop, but he would not listen. As the doors shut, she threw herself at them desperately, but it was too late now; they were locked, and could only be unlocked from the inside. She began to pound on the doors like they would break just from her force alone, however, the doors refused to budge. Still, she kept on pounding violently, and screaming his name, until he finally turned around to face her again._

"_**No objections, right Lady?"**_

_She raised a blue, Zero Suit covered hand from behind the glass at him, initially a thumbs up. With a bitter expression on her face, she quickly inverted it. He merely nodded at her, a hint of a faint smile etched on his features, before turning away, gun raised, to face whatever foul threat awaited him through the other door which had been slowly opening behind him. _

_She watched him walk away, her bitter expression now turning to despair. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she would not allow herself to cry until she was sure he was gone. Finally, the doors he had walked through shut, and she knew he was gone forever. It was only then she screwed her eyes shut and allowed herself to cry a single tear._

"_**Unlike you, I'm no galactic saviour. But I can save you..."

* * *

**_

Samus awoke; the dream that had been haunting her the past few nights fading once more to the back of her mind. Underneath her hand, she could feel her pillow was damp, indicating, much to her dismay, she had been crying, the one thing she had sworn to herself not to do. _He _wouldn't want to see her like this. But, her mind reasoned, was it really a terrible thing cry? She had just lost one of her closest friends after all, which was reason enough to grieve.

Samus felt the tears forming, but she quickly blinked them away, pushing off the bed she was laid in so she was sat upright. Her sapphire eyes gazed at the bedside clock, which showed her it was still night, one in the morning to be precise. She was about to let herself flop back onto her bed, when she found her gaze wandering to something placed on a desk opposite her. Rising slowly, she walked over the retrieve the object – a Federation soldier's helmet, with a fading white '07' painted on the front of it, near the top.

Samus took the helmet in both hands, staring at it for a moment. It was the only physical memory she had left of _him_, which saddened her greatly. She felt the tears forming again, but this time, she had no power left to resist them. Hugging her former commanding officer's helmet to her chest tenderly, Samus bowed her head and let her tears spill out. She cried until she felt a pair of comforting hands resting on her shoulders, one gloved, and the other made of cold metal...


	2. Chapter 2

**Fading Dream Pt. 2**

**Here we go,chapter 2! Reviews loved!**

**

* * *

**

Samus jumped at the feel of cold metal resting on her shoulder, even though its grip was a gentle one. For a moment, she was too terrified to move, and it was so silent in her quarters, she could hear her own heart beating away erratically inside her chest. Even time seemed to stop, until she finally exhaled the breath she'd been unconsciously holding. Steeling herself and calming her nerves, Samus risked a glance behind her.

What greeted her gaze almost made her drop the helmet that she held so tightly against her chest. A man, slightly taller than herself and in Federation armour, was stood behind her. He had iron black hair that was spiked in all directions, giving him a rather messy look. His face was pale and tired looking, but the determined and stern looking grey eyes that met Samus's own was the feature that confirmed she was looking at the very same man that haunted her dreams every night. As the newcomer slowly turned her around to face him, she wondered if she had not unknowingly slipped back into her dream or whether her mind was simply playing cruel tricks on her. The man that haunted her dreams was _dead_; she had watched him walk to his death, heard and felt the explosion that signalled his demise. He was _gone_; this _wasn't_ real. Yet, as she observed him for a little longer, she noticed that his face was covered in numerous scars, the most prominent of which went over his right eye, with three deeper ones on his left cheek, alongside many other cuts and scrapes, and his right arm, which was completely devoid of armour after the shoulder, was made of some kind metal from just below the elbow downwards. Samus had never observed him having either of these features in her dreams before. He had always looked the same way; the way she remembered him looking as they parted. As she began to wonder for a moment, she barely felt the man prise the helmet she was holding from her hands.

"I do believe...this might be mine." He chuckled quietly, smiling a little at Samus.

She made no reply, so overcome with shock was she. She desperately wanted this to be real, but knew the minute she began to hope was the minute this would turn into a dream, and she'd still be all alone. A solitary tear slowly descended down her face.

The smile faded from the man's face and he instantly sobered. "Hey, Samus." He wiped away the tear from her face with the hand not clasping the helmet, his gloved hand. "It's me!"

Hardly daring to believe, Samus raised a Zero Suit covered hand to the man's face, delicately brushing his skin with her fingertips. Upon feeling the newcomer's flesh beneath her fingers, something deep within her sparked. In a flash of anger, she drew back her hand and harshly slapped the man before her, catching him completely off guard, so much so, it took him a while to regain his composure. He rubbed his smarted cheek with his free hand, before he regarded Samus with an emotionless look.

"Well..." He began in the same hushed tone as before, "I suppose I deserved that one."

"Five years!" she shouted angrily at him. "Five years I've been reliving that moment, five years I've been tortured by the same nightmare. Five years I've regretted not being able to stop you, five years I've wished I could go back. Five years I could not bring myself to grieve for you, five years I've been lost. Yet, all this time, you were alive...! Five years, Adam! Five years..." Samus was so full of anger and unhappiness at this point, she was shaking uncontrollably. Despite this, she did not pull away when Adam engulfed her in his arms.

"I know Samus, I know." Adam replied back in an unusually soothing manner. "And if I could have come back sooner, then I would have."

"Then why didn't you?" Samus pulled back from him slightly. "I mean...how did you even get _out _of there alive? That place self-destructed! You even said it yourself; everything inside that place would be eliminated, without leaving a trace."

"I did wonder when you'd ask me that." He released her, before guiding her back towards her bed. "Let's sit down, and I'll tell you from the beginning."

Samus didn't feel like sitting down, but knew she had no choice if she wanted to hear how Adam survived after the Bottle Ship incident. Reluctantly, she sat back on her bed, with her best friend sitting next to her, his helmet on his lap, and she listened as he recounted all that had happened to him since he went into Sector Zero of the Bottle Ship all those years ago.


	3. Chapter 3

**Fading Dream Pt. 3**

**Finally...done...this! *dies* Please read and review! This took forever to write.**

**

* * *

**

_Adam watched in horror as the blonde haired woman Samus was talking to finally turned around and showed her face properly. The woman had called herself Madeline Bergman, but he had met Madeline a few years prior, and unless she had drastically altered her appearance, Adam knew this woman was lying about her identity. What frustrated him though was the fact that this woman was subtly manipulating the Bounty Hunter to go down to this Sector Zero they had been conversing about; the very same one he already knew so much about from research. He already suspected what horrors might lie down there, and when 'Madeline' confirmed this in conversation, Adam had wished he could put his arm through his communication screen and drag Samus out of there. But he couldn't. All he could do was watch and pray._

"_**Madeline, thanks for telling me all this. I've got to destroy the Metroids in Sector Zero." **__Samus spoke the words that Adam didn't want to hear._

"_**No! Samus!" **__He shouted; though with his communicator earpiece gone, there was no way she had heard his warning. _

_Shoving his freeze gun into the holster on his thigh, Adam grabbed his rifle and rushed as fast as he could towards Sector Zero, leaving his helmet on the desk he formally occupied. He had to get to Sector Zero before Samus did; there was no two ways about it. He knew the moment she put one foot in that hellish place, she was as good as gone.

* * *

_

_Blasting his way through another creature, Adam made it to the lift that would take him down near the entrance of Sector Zero. Remembering how he found the badly damaged body of the cyborg creature, Nightmare, on his way to the lift, Adam was certain that Samus was already ahead of him. With this thought in mind, he mentally willed the lift he was travelling in to go faster. When it finally came to a stop, he was out of the doors and running before they had even opened fully._

_Adam sprinted as fast as he could, with only one thing on his mind: stopping Samus from making her most deadly mistake and paying the ultimate price for it. As he approached the final room before Sector Zero, he swapped his rifle to his left hand, and pulled his freeze gun from its holster. Pausing for a moment outside the room, Adam caught his breath and composed himself, before he quietly entered the room, rifle lowered and freeze gun poised to fire at a second's notice._

_As he thought, Samus was just ahead of him, down the other end of the massive room. Even from this distance he was at, Adam could see her armoured form was heaving, as though out of breath, or maybe even in surprise – he couldn't quite tell. Suddenly, she began to turn, charging up a shot with her Arm Cannon. Seeing what Samus was about to fire at, Adam loosed a blast of ice at her back which caused her armour to dematerialise, before she collapsed to the floor, semi conscious. He could barely watch her fall to the ground, but he knew she'd be thanking him for it in later life. She wasn't quite out of the danger zone yet, however, and Adam was forced to fire off another shot as the larval metroid Samus had been about to destroy launched itself at her. Once again, he hit bang on target, sending the creature flying across the room somewhere._

_Satisfied the larval metroid was dead, Adam slowly approached Samus's now unconscious form and, after dropping his weapons to the floor, he took her underneath both arms, dragging her carefully towards a wall before propping her up against it. Retrieving his weapons and placing them by his side, he crouched down beside Samus and waited for her to regain consciousness.

* * *

_

_After a long conversation with Samus, Adam finally found himself walking towards the large metal doors that stood between him and Sector Zero. Behind him, through the other set of doors that had sealed behind him, Samus was screaming his name and pounding on the glass. Turning one last time to face her, he gave her a smile and uttered the sentence that formed part of their sign of trust._

"_**No objections, right Lady?"**_

_At first, she seemed to want to give him a thumbs up, but as predicted, she changed her mind at the last minute and gave him a thumbs down. Adam couldn't help but broaden his smile slightly at this, and he gave her a final nod before he turned and walked through the now open door behind him. He did not stop walking until the doors finally shut again, at which point he came to a halt and let out a sigh, glancing back the way he came._

"_**Good luck, Samus. I'll miss you." **__He whispered quietly, though of course there was no way she had heard him. However, Adam knew in his heart Samus would have somehow gotten his final message._

_Walking towards the centre of the area he now found himself in, Adam carefully scanned around him. There were tall tubes with some kind of green liquid inside of them. Most of them also housed larval metroids, and he decided it would be best to concentrate on those first. With an angry glint in his eye, Adam quickly loaded his weapon and let loose on each of the glass tubes, shattering each one of them instantly, their contents spilling everywhere. The young metroids inside stood no chance at all against such rage. Without waiting, he then strode on through the rest of the sector, destroying whatever he could on sight. By this point, he had a swarm of angry metroids on his tail, looking to avenge their fallen kin. But Adam did not care. He would not pause to examine his work until the self destruct protocol of the sector activated, and no swarm of unfreezable metroids was going to stop him achieving his goal. _

_Dodging one as it came at him, he fired off another shot, breaking several specimen jars and making a dent in the wall behind them. Another metroid, still an infant, soon flung itself at Adam, tearing a chunk of armour off his right arm and severely injuring him. He whipped out his freeze gun and blindly fired at it, stopping it in its tracks. However, the swarm was unrelenting, and he was forced to sideways roll as more launched at him, snapping off another shot from his rifle at some electronic equipment bolted to the wall. Adam then swiftly rose back onto his feet, looking for anything else around him that looked fragile enough to destroy before the metroids at his back piled on top of him. Spying something, he was about to bring his weapons to bear on it, when the floor began to vibrate._

"_**Emergency in Sector Zero. Disengaging Unit."**_

_Adam grinned; he had done it. It wouldn't be long now until the sector self destructed, ending both the metroids' and his own life. But he didn't care he was about to die, or that he was injured. The only things he cared about was the fact that the fruit of the Galactic Federation's twisted project was about to go to oblivion, and that he had saved the life of the person he most deeply cared about._

"_**Emergency in Sector Zero. Disengaging Unit."**_

_Hearing the metroids screeching behind him, Adam whirled around, both of his weapons trained at the swarm that was hurtling towards him. Once again, an angry spark lit his eye as he waited for the swarm to come within range._

"_**All right. Time to end this!"**__ He shouted at the incoming creatures. _

_A battle cry tore from his mouth, and he let loose everything he had at the metroids. A few of them fell under his barrage of bullets and ice, but the majority of the swarm was still flying at him. Backing up at speed, Adam continued to fire at them, until he felt the back of his legs hit something metal. Looking down behind him, he realised he had stumbled upon escape pod, and almost couldn't contain his happiness. Elbowing a button to open the escape pod door, he emptied the last round of his rifle before crawling into the pod, sealing the door behind him. There were several thuds as the metroids tried to gain access, but the door did its job and held firm. Dropping his weapons and applying pressure to his wound, Adam laughed dryly._

"_**No objections to my leaving, right?" **__He nodded at the metroids through the glass, before lying down in the pod's only seat, arms crossed against his chest._

"_**Escape pod activated. Launching pod."**_

_He felt a jerk as the pod was launched and he was thrown far away from the Bottle Ship. Spotting a medical kit next to him, Adam quickly made use of it, bandaging his wounds as best he could, before resting both arms on his chest and letting out a sigh._

"_**Please come out safe, Samus."**__ He murmured, before he slowly fell asleep.

* * *

_

_Adam did not know how long he was asleep for, but the next thing he remembered was waking up to a blinding light. The light blurred his vision, but he could hear that there were several beings around him._

"_**What is it..?"**_

"_**Is he harmless..?"**_

"_**Where'd he come from..?"**_

"_**He fell out of the sky!"**_

"_**Quiet! He'll hear you!"**_

"_**Shh, all of you. I think he's coming around..."**_

_Groggily, he forced his eyes to open fully, waiting for his vision to clear. When it did, he found himself surrounded by diminutive human like creatures that appeared to have two pairs of arms each, but his head hurt so much, he couldn't really tell._

"_**Wha...W-where am I?" **__Adam tried to sit up but found he couldn't. He fell back with a gentle thud._

"_**Easy." **__The one who had told the others to be quiet the second time spoke calmly, steadying him with two of his four arms. __**"You are hurt. You need to be still."**_

_Adam turned his head to the one who had spoken, and fiery orange eyes greeted his gaze. Nodding at the creature, he decided it would be best to take his advice for now._

"_**All right, everyone have a hold of him? Then on my count, one, two, three, lift!"**_

_There was a jerk as he felt himself being lifted onto the shoulders of the mutant humans, and he was taken away from the spot in which he had awoken, towards some kind of village. He was then taken into one of the houses, before being placed on something soft which he assumed was a bed. Feeling warm, Adam couldn't help but drift asleep again.

* * *

_

_When he next awoke, Adam found himself in a dark room, lying on a bed and wrapped up in blankets. The only source of light was a single, scented candle that burned somewhere opposite him. The fragrance was pleasant, making Adam want to drift off again, but as he moved into a more comfortable position, something burst the dreamy atmosphere; he couldn't feel anything at all after his right elbow. He raised the arm to eye level in alarm, only to find his lower arm was completely made of metal; in short, he had a mechanical arm. His eyes widened in shock._

"_**Fascinating, isn't it? What wonders we can work with technology..."**_

_The elderly voice coming from the shadows made Adam jump slightly as he sat up. He watched as a small four armed human, the same one who had kept him calm before, limped slowly into the light. Now that he could see the humanoid properly, Adam guessed the creature was no more than four foot in height, and he was regarding him with a thoughtful look. He was also wearing a well worn robe, which obscured much of his lower set of arms, and the hood was down, showing off his flaming red hair and pale skin. His eyes glowed orange in the dark._

"_**Forgive me for not introducing myself. I am Kaiel Phoenixwing." **__Kaiel bowed his head._

"_**Commander Adam Malkovich." **__Adam introduced himself formally. __**"What did you do to my arm?"**_

"_**Your arm was pretty badly damaged. You did a good job bandaging it, but there was no way it could be saved." **__Kaiel replied a little sadly. __**"After you fell asleep, I gave you a sedative, had some of my people take you to our medical station and the team there amputated it and gave you a mechanical replacement. Don't worry, I will teach you how to use it."**_

_Adam gazed at his arm in wonder for a moment. __**"I suppose I should thank you, then."**_

"_**Oh really, it was no trouble." **__The humanoid smiled, revealing a set of badly chipped teeth, before turning away from Federation commander. __**"Can you stand, Commander?"**_

"_**I can try." **__Adam pushed himself off the bed, staggering shakily to his feet. Kaiel steadied him._

"_**All right. If you want something to eat, you best follow me. You must be hungry after whatever you've been through." **__The humanoid began to hobble off ahead of Adam, who hesitantly followed him outside.

* * *

_

_It did not take them long to find some food and some drink, and after Adam was full, Kaiel began teaching him how to use his new arm, as promised. Despite the fact it looked complicated, he grasped the concept pretty quickly and easily enough. Shortly after this, Kaiel took Adam to some sort of docking station on the outskirts of the village._

"_**You are from the Federation, right?" **__He asked Adam rhetorically. __**"While you were having your operation, I programmed one of the ships to take you back home." **__Kaiel gestured to a small, silver craft not far in front of them._

"_**Thank you. I won't forget this." **__Adam nodded, holding out a hand. __**"Until we meet again, Kaiel."**_

_The humanoid reached up with a hand and shook it. __**"Aye. Until we meet again. Farewell, Commander."**_

_Releasing his grip on Kaiel, Adam smiled, before turning and walking towards the vessel that would guide him home.

* * *

_

"So, let me get this straight. You escaped out of the Bottle Ship in an escape pod, crash landed on another planet, and was rescued by four armed humans?" Samus summarised. "And then they gave you a ship to get back here? What took you so long?"

"Miniature four armed humans." Adam corrected, chuckling. "And it took me so long because it turns out their spacecraft are quite slow, and need refuelling quite often. That and I got involved with several hostile species when asking for fuel, and to top it all off, I was caught up in a space territorial battle which I had to bring peace to. That was sure _fun_." He rolled his eyes. "I only got back a few hours ago. There were a few things that I needed to take care of after my arrival, which took longer than I expected."

"I suppose you needed to tell Command you weren't dead, huh?" She surmised out loud.

"Among other things, yes." He nodded lightly. "I also asked for a few weeks off, which was granted."

"Oh?"

"Mmm-hmm. And I'm going to spend those weeks making up for the five years I was gone from your side, Samus."

"In what way?" Samus was startled by the sudden change in the conversation, but had sense not to show it.

"Whatever way you want. Starting from now. And starting with this." Adam leaned forward, delicately capturing her lips with his own. When she was unresponsive, he pulled away again, fearing he might have overdone it. "I'm sorry Samus, I-..." He was stopped mid-sentence by a finger being placed on his lips, and it was at that moment Adam realised Samus was trying not to laugh at him.

"Adam..." There was a playful tone to her voice. "Shut up...and do that again!"

He was a bit nervous now, but eventually he obeyed her wish and kissed her again, gently cupping her cheek with his left hand. What started off as simple kissing soon began to get more passionate, and Adam soon found himself stripped of his armour, which was thrown to the floor of the quarters somewhere. They were still kissing intensely by the time Samus had run out of breath, and she was forced to pull away to get some air into her lungs.

"When you said..." She began, panting laboriously, "That you were going to make it up to me, Adam Malkovich, I didn't think you had this in mind."

"Well then, Samus Aran, you clearly don't know my mind very well." He grinned, laughing a little. "But no objections I take it, right?"

"Damn right I have no objections!" Samus joined in Adam's laughter before she kissed him on the cheek, and the pair dove underneath the bed sheets to continue their passion.


	4. Chapter 4

**Fading Dream Pt. 4**

**This. Took. Too. Long. But I hope it is worth it,guys! R & R please!**

**

* * *

**

Adam let out a sigh as another round of retching sounded from the bathroom of the quarters both himself and Samus were sharing, before rising off the bed and going to pour a glass of water. Samus had been sick on and off for the past few days, and although he felt for her, this routine (if one could call it that) was starting to get tiring. Despite this, Adam knew he couldn't just leave her like this; in fact, he had gone to Command and asked for some more time off just so he could look after her. He had only been back in office for just under two months, but the leave was given to him on the proviso that, when he returned, he worked longer hour shifts, which he agreed to do. He would happily endure anything to make sure Samus was cared for and came to no harm; the incident on the Bottle Ship had taught him that much.

Having finished pouring the glass of water, he approached the bathroom, being careful to watch where he placed his feet so he didn't trip and spill water everywhere. As he neared the door, he could clearly hear Samus breathing heavily, and his heart twisted in sympathy. Quietly and tentatively, Adam knocked on the door.

"Samus, it's me. Am I all right to come in?" He asked gently.

"Y-yes..." He heard her reply back weakly from the other side of the door.

Adam was a little surprised to find that, upon his entering, Samus was curled up in a foetal position on the cold floor, grimacing in obvious pain. Her arms were wrapped around her abdomen and despite the fact she looked decisively pale and clammy, she was shivering uncontrollably. She generally looked a mess, and to his dismay, all she was wearing was her bed clothes and a dressing gown. Adam crouched down by Samus's side with a sympathetic look on his face, lightly touching her nearest arm with his free hand.

"Here, drink this." He offered her the glass of water.

"You know...I'll just throw that back up later..." She groaned, raising her head to meet his gaze with a pitiful look.

"Nevertheless, you are going to drink it." Adam replied, a hint of authority in his voice. "You need some fluids in your system, or you'll dehydrate and start getting worse. And you are already bad enough."

Samus nodded weakly, and accepted the glass from him, drinking its contents shakily. She had barely drunk any of the water before she decided she didn't want any more and handed the glass back to Adam.

"It isn't much, but I suppose it is a start." He spoke after a sigh. "Listen, Samus, I know you said you didn't want to go down to the medical bay, but I really think you need to see someone."

"Adam! I'm fine!" Samus protested, though this burst of anger drained her strength instantly.

"But that's the point. You aren't. You are sick. It isn't like you to get this ill."

"I probably just ate some dodgy food, or something. I mean, you haven't contracted anything, have you?"

"Again, that's not the point." Adam was frowning now. "Look, I'll make a deal with you. If you are not decidedly better by lunchtime, I'm taking you to the medical bay, whether it's what you want or not. You need checking over, Samus!"

There was going to be no getting out of it. Unwilling to argue, Samus just nodded at him feebly.

"All right. Let's get you somewhere warmer before you get hypothermia, shall we?"

He offered his free hand, which she gratefully took, and he hauled her up gently, guiding her out of the bathroom and back towards the bed. Placing the glass of water on the bedside table, he then proceeded to set Samus on the bed, wrapping her up in the blankets so only her head was visible. As he turned to leave their quarters, he felt her grab his left hand.

"W-where...are you going?" She stuttered at him, her teeth chattering from being so cold. Adam turned back around to face her again.

"To get something to eat." He answered simply. "Also, I need to go sign off a few bits of paper work."

"I thought you got some time off?"

"I did, but Command said that these forms needed signing as soon as, and they can't wait. So..." He paused, kissing Samus on lightly the forehead, "You rest up, and I'll see you in a little while."

"Likewise..." She murmured, watching as Adam left, before flopping down despondently on the bed.

* * *

Under the bed sheets, Samus let out a low groan, staring at the clock beside her, whose digital output read just shy of twelve noon. Adam had yet to return, and she had been wondering for the past few minutes just what his definition of _'a little while'_ was. She hadn't been forced to rush to the bathroom again yet, for which she was thankful for, as she was feeling about as weak as a person could get. However, her temperature had been veering from one extreme to the other in the past hour, and right now, Samus was flushed and uncomfortably sticky, which was making her head begin to throb painfully. As she threw the blankets off herself with the last ounce of strength she had left in her arms, Samus was beginning to come around to Adam's view. Sure, he was a bit..._over_protective of her sometimes, but what he said was right – she rarely got ill as bad as this.

'_Maybe it wouldn't hurt for me to go get checked over...' _

Just as her hazed mind began to think that way, there was a sharp hiss as the door to the quarters opened. The sound made her both flinch (as it fuelled her headache) and breathe a sigh of relief.

"Samus!" Adam spoke almost cheerily as he shut the door behind him. "How are we...?" He was cut off mid-sentence as his grey eyes met her sapphire ones and he saw the state she was in. "Please tell me you've not been like that for long."

"I keep veering from one extreme of temperature to the other..." She tried to explain to him, was interrupted by her own body starting to violently shiver again.

Crossing over to her in two strides, Adam picked up the blanket from where it landed after Samus had thrown it off her and wrapped her up in it again. He then pulled her to her feet, and, noting her shaky stance, allowed her to lean on him for support, with her arm across the back of his shoulders.

"Right." He turned to face her, bending his neck down a little so he could accommodate Samus a bit better. "I'm taking you to this medical room. You all right to walk?"

All she could manage was a weak nod, before the pair slowly exited the quarters to being their long journey to the medical bay.

* * *

Suppressing her senses, Samus calmly sat in a medical chair as a doctor plunged a needle into her arm to get some blood for testing. Apart from an occasional shudder, the Hunter didn't move, not even to flinch. To one side of her, though she was now barely aware of his presence, Adam sat on a regular chair, elbows resting on his knees, with his artificial hand wrapped around the other. Like Samus, he was not one for showing his emotions, but deep down, he was worried for her; at a push, perhaps even scared for her. It was the not knowing what was wrong with her that probably frightened him the most, though Adam was sure they would know soon enough. Despite this, he couldn't help but tap a foot impatiently on the cold tiles of the floor. How long did these things take? They had already been in the medical area for at least an hour, during which time Samus had been physically examined and had undergone basic tests, both of which had revealed nothing. Adam let out a hollow sigh, gazing at his companion with a faint trace of worry on his face. He didn't believe in a higher power, but he couldn't help but mentally pray it was nothing serious. After all they had both been through, Samus dying at the hands of a tiny creature, so small they couldn't even see it, would be such cruel irony.

'_Please let it not be serious...' _He willed in his mind, oblivious to the fact Samus had turned her head around to face him, her bright blue eyes widening as she saw the fear that his own betrayed. Finally, he caught her staring at him, and the emotionless mask slipped back on.

"Hey, Samus." He whispered, barely audible. "Everything will be all right." He spoke like _she _was the one filled with worry, not he; or maybe he was trying to convince _himself _everything going to be just fine. Whatever the case, it caused the bounty hunter to think for a minute.

"I hope you are right." Was her simple reply, laced with undercurrents of nervousness, convincing Adam that she, too, was perhaps more fearful than she was letting on.

When the doctor finally came back, it was a relief that was shortly followed by a feeling of dread. From the corner of his eye, Adam spied Samus visibly tensing up, but much of his gaze was held on the doctor, who was leering knowingly to himself, an almost unnoticeable smile on his lips. He frowned suspiciously at him. Here was a very sick patient, and all this man could do was smile? What reason could there possibly be for being happy?

"What are you smiling for?" Samus suddenly snapped, echoing the question in Adam's mind, though her anger quickly drained her.

"I think congratulations are in order!" The doctor beamed at the bemused pair, who blinked at one another before staring at the doctor with confused expressions.

"_Congrat...ulations?" _ The pair questioned at exactly the same time, both their tones nervous. Congratulations was not the thing one would usually say to a person who is very ill.

The doctor nodded. "It's hard to be absolutely sure without further testing, but your blood shows a very high concentration of hormones, most of which is the hormone, progesterone."

"Progesterone?" Adam raised an eyebrow, still speaking in the same confused tone from before.

"Indeed, Commander." The doctor confirmed. It was Samus who eventually spelt it out for him as she delicately and tenderly slid a hand over her belly, rubbing it slightly and gazing down in wonder.

"Progesterone..." She spoke in so quiet a whisper, she nearly thought it, and her tone was one of awe with a hint of excitement, "That means I'm pregnant, right?"

But the doctor heard her clearly enough. "Well, Samus, it is hard to be sure without further examination, but I'd say it was highly likely. I'll need to perform an ultrasound scan just to be sure. I'll just go prep the equipment for you; give you two a few minutes together by yourselves." And with that, he was gone.

Tentatively and shakily, Samus sat herself up in her chair, pulling both legs across so they hung over the edge of the side closest to Adam, before resting an arm over her abdomen. Her sapphire eyes watched as her companion came across to her chair and sat close beside her. Wordlessly, Samus leaned into the one armed embrace of Adam, burying her head into his chest, while he hesitantly placed a hand on the one she held to her belly, softly gripping onto it, and leaned his head on hers. They stayed in this position in absolute silence for a few moments, both lost in their thoughts. He was thinking about the possibility that he might be about to become a father, while she was thinking about the future, which got mingled with memories of the past.

_The Baby..._

They were both snapped out of their thoughts by the sound of the doctor returning, and they reluctantly pulled away from each other. Rising off the chair, Adam took Samus's hand he had been holding all this time and used it to carefully guide her off the chair and then towards a door – presumably to the sonography room – where the doctor was now waiting for them.

"Can you...come in with me?" Samus asked Adam in an unusually timid voice, noting how he was holding back a little as he guided her forwards.

"Of course, if you want me to." He replied back in a whisper. Very few people knew about him and Samus being together, and despite wanting to keep up appearances, he couldn't refuse her request. Besides, he guessed the doctor already suspected they were together, but either way, he knew the doctor wouldn't say anything; patient confidentiality and all that stuff.

Adam took his place in a chair beside a bed which Samus was sat up in. On the other side of her, there was some sort of machine, which he assumed was the ultrasound, linked up to a probe the doctor was holding in one hand. The machine was making a gentle humming sound.

"All right, Samus, if you could just roll you top a little, I'll apply some gel on you." The doctor produced a large tube of gel seemingly from nowhere in his other hand. After she obeyed his instruction, he smiled sympathetically. "I apologise, but this may be cold."

Samus flinched as the gel was applied and rubbed in with the probe. Cold was an understatement! The gel was like liquid ice on her pale and bare skin, and the cold sensation forced a hiss of surprise from her mouth. She soon felt another cold sensation slowly wrapping around her hand, and when she turned her head in the direction it had come from, she discovered it was Adam wrapping his artificial hand around her own. Samus smiled slightly at him, who returned it.

"Well, it seems you are indeed pregnant, Samus, and therefore what you've been experiencing is likely morning sickness." The doctor confirmed, causing the pair to look at him. He began to point at the screen of the ultrasound, describing what the sonogram showed. "This here is the baby's head, and if you listen carefully, you can hear its heartbeat. I can't tell you the gender yet, but I can tell you the embryo looks as if it is just under a couple months old, and very healthy." He turned the machine off, wiping the gel of Samus's abdomen with a tissue. "Would you like a print out?"

Initially, she didn't respond to the question, but Samus eventually gathered herself together. "Yes, I would, please."

"Then, if you would take a seat back in the other room, I'll get a couple for you."

Feeling Adam grip her hand tighter, Samus let him guide her back into the other room, where they both sat down close together, holding hands, and waited for the doctor to return to them.

* * *

"A baby..." Samus held one of the pictures of the child within her an arm's reach above her face. She was laid back on the bed in hers and Adam's private quarters, speaking to the aforementioned person, who was sat on the end of the bed by her feet. "A real baby, growing inside of me; our child..." She trailed off, lowering her arm so she could gaze at Adam, who had an unreadable expression. "Adam..?"

"I just can't take it all in." He let out a sigh. "I mean, what are we going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm a commander, you're a bounty hunter. They are both demanding jobs. It'll be a very big change."

"And I'm ready for it." There was a hint of determination in her reply. "Don't you think it's time we were allowed to settle down and be carefree? I want to keep this child, Adam."

"As do I." He slid down beside her, hugging her from behind, hands crossed over the one she had placed on her abdomen. "But as I said before, it will be a big change. Can you really imagine yourself settled down in one place?"

"That doesn't matter whether I can imagine myself in one location. We'll make it work."

"And what about the others? Command? What do we say to them?"

Samus rolled over to face Adam with this question. "Forget about them. All that matters is that we love each other, and the child that we created. Right?" She replied softly.

"I suppose so..."

"Listen, Adam..." She cupped a scarred cheek with a hand. "Don't worry about all that. We'll work it out. And you'll be a great father, too." She kissed him gently.

Adam returned her kiss with a tender one of his own. "Likewise, you'll be a great mother, too." He pulled her into a loving embrace. He felt her bury her head into his chest and softly begin to cry, so he started stroking her golden hair delicately.

"Adam, I love you..." She choked out through her sobs.

He smiled, resting his head slightly on hers, before whispering in her ear, barely audible:

"I love you too, Samus..."


	5. Chapter 5

**Fading Dream Pt. 5**

**Bet that summary caught your eye,eh? One more chapter left hopefully,and perhaps an epilogue of sorts.**

**

* * *

**

Stretching a little, Samus awkwardly pulled herself into a pair of three quarter length trousers and pulled a tank top over her torso, which clung loosely to her frame. Her top and trousers didn't meet at all due to her pregnant belly bulging from her front, but she didn't seem to care. It was nice on occasion to have her baby bump bare and exposed like this, and the child within her seemed to appreciate it too, for it wiggled around contentedly inside her. Samus gently rubbed the spot where she felt her child move.

"You like that, huh?" She asked, smiling shyly, until she was kicked in the ribs, forcing the breath out of her lungs. Grunting in surprise, she leaned heavily on the desk opposite her bed with her spare hand, trying to catch her breath for a few minutes. Suddenly, she felt something cold and something warm hug her enlarged belly from behind, which made her jump, and she felt a head leaning on her shoulder.

"Morning, Samus." A familiar voice whispered in her ear, before she was kissed on the cheek and rocked from side to side.

"Goodness, Adam, you scared the life out of me! Do you want me to go into labour?" Samus glanced back at him, a mock glare on her features.

"And I love you too." He laughed, replying to her outburst with a hint of sarcasm and teasing laced in his voice.

"I know you do." She clasped his hands, leaning her head on his. "But, must you scare me like that every morning?"

"Well, I've got to show my appreciation for both my loves now, haven't I?"

"Yes, and we do appreciate it, myself and no doubt our child too." Samus couldn't stop a smile forming on her lips before her next sentence, "Bu-_ut_...unless you_ want_ to end up delivering single handed, I suggest you be mindful of how close I am to my due date. Because..." she was giggling now, "I don't know how well you'd fair."

"Hey, _Lady._" Adam protested, which served only to make her smile broaden, for she knew she had succeeded in provoking him, "You and I both know if I had no other choice but to deliver alone, I'd make sure I'd do whatever is necessary to ensure you are both safe."

Samus elbowed him gently. "Come on, I was only mocking you; no need to be serious all of a sudden! Anyway, you are going to be late, and you don't want to keep Command waiting, do you?"

"No. That would be a bad idea." He kissed her tenderly on the neck. "I'll see you later, then. If anything happens, _call _me, or else get a message to me." He tried to release her, but Samus forced him to keep his hands on her belly for a moment. He didn't understand why at first, until he felt a strong kick against his hands, and he let out a chuckle.

"All right, see you later." She turned around to face him, giving him a peck on the cheek. "And don't worry about us. We'll be fine."

"I'd tell you to take it easy, but I know you won't." Adam smiled, giving his love one last hug before he left her alone in their quarters.

* * *

Arriving back in her quarters from a trip to go get something to eat for herself and her unborn child, a trip which had no doubt caused a few head turns and double takes as she walked past people, Samus wearily sat down on her bed. It wasn't that far to the mess hall and back, but being encumbered with pregnancy made anything she did hard work. Mere moments after she touched her bed with her body, there was a computerised beeping sound, signalling someone was at the door.

"Enter." She stated simply with a sigh, not bothering to rise.

The newcomer, a woman of around five and a half foot in height, entered into the room, her brown eyes locking with Samus's own. The bounty hunter studied her for a moment; the newcomer was dressed in a white lab coat, grey jeans, and white boots, and in addition to her brown eyes, she had fiery red hair. Samus narrowed her eyes, a faint trace of recognition on her face. It was then she realised who it was.

"Madeline!" She exclaimed, trying to rise off the bed to greet her. She succeeded only in falling back onto it again.

"Hey Samus, don't push yourself." Madeline replied, smiling a little, though concern was evident in her eyes. "It is good to see you as well, but don't overdo it."

"My apologies, but it has been a long time. Nearly six years now, isn't it? Come, sit down. Would you like a drink or anything?"

"No, no. I'm not staying for long." The scientist took her place beside the bounty hunter. "I can see you've been busy, but how have you been these past six years? Keeping well?"

Samus blushed a little, but it quickly faded. "I've been all right, I suppose. Much of the past six years has been spent doing bounties to try and forget about the Bottle Ship. It is only in the last year or so I've been settled down here, ever since I found out Ada- Commander Malkovich survived from the Bottle Ship."

"I heard about that. How did he get out? I mean, he locked himself in Sector Zero and activated the self-destruct protocol, didn't he?" Madeline gazed at Samus questioningly.

"He escaped out in an escape pod, though barely." The bounty hunter answered her question, relieved her friend hadn't noticed her stumble over how to address Adam. "Anyway, how have you been? Why'd you come and see me?"

"I've been all right as can be, I suppose. I was interrogated about the Bottle Ship, and had to stand trial as witness to it in order to lessen my sentence. However..." Madeline's tone turned a little sad at this point, "I've been banned from all biological and chemical research and experimentation for life. I suppose it could have been worse..."

"What do you do now, then?" It was Samus's turn to look at her companion questioningly.

"I'm a doctor in medicine now. A medic. It was the only way I could stay in the biology profession." Madeline sighed. "Federation Command weren't too keen on me choosing that path, but they eventually left me to it, and haven't bugged me since..."

She was interrupted by Samus suddenly hissing. One of her hands slid protectively over her distended belly as she winced, a pained expression on her face. Knowing by female instinct that the bounty hunter was pregnant, Madeline gave her friend a concerned look, worried about how close Samus was to her due date. She gently put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine." Samus guessed her question before she even thought it. "Just a little cramp; they are normal."

The scientist wasn't so convinced however. "Just _how _close are you to your due date?"

"Only a couple of weeks left now." The bounty hunter smiled a little, her pain settling down. "Anyway, you didn't answer my other question from before. Why'd you come and see me?"

Madeline let the hand resting on her friend's shoulder fall back by her side. Why _had _she come to see Samus? "I don't know. Probably to see how you were. I had heard rumours you hadn't gone out on a mission for a while and you were stuck here, so I came to see how you were. Now I know just _why_ you've not been on any missions." She paused a moment, before continuing, "I also came to thank you, you know, for what you did six years ago; for rescuing me, and taking me into your protection. I don't know what I would have done without you and Anthony. I probably wouldn't even be alive right now. I owe you my life."

"No you don't, you owe yourself." Samus replied modestly. "After all, it was the distress signal that _you_ sent that drew me there in the first place. So if you must thank anyone or anything, thank your quick thinking."

"Nevertheless, you still saved me. You didn't have to respond to the distress signal. Anyway..." Madeline rose from the bed, "I should be going now. Keep well, and I hope it goes well for you and Adam."

The bounty hunter rose awkwardly after her friend. "You keep well, too." Then she realised what Madeline had said. "Hey! How did you..?"

"It is kind of obvious!" Madeline smiled, trying not to laugh. "I mean, who else could it be? I know he's been taking a lot of time off work recently, and when he's at work, he works long hours."

Samus sighed. When put like that, she supposed it was kind of obvious, and her daily trips to the mess hall probably didn't help matters.

"Don't worry about it. I won't say anything to anyone before either of you does." She promised. "Anyway, take care!" She then hugged Samus.

"You too." The bounty hunter was a bit taken back by the hug, but was grateful for it nonetheless. Finally, they parted, and she watched as her friend left her quarters, before carefully flopping on the bed for some much needed rest.

* * *

_Samus awoke, but she was not laid on her bed. As she shifted, she realised she was laid on cold metal, metal grates to be precise. She rose awkwardly, confused. Wherever she was, she was not in her quarters anymore. It was also very hot; not pleasantly so, either, but rather "Get out of there, melting temperatures, Varia Suit time!" kind of hot. The sweltering heat was drying Samus's eyes out quickly, making them water and her vision blur. Below the platform she was on, she could just about make out there was a lake of lava some way down, and when she looked up, she realised she was in a room that was almost like a futuristic colosseum, which seemed vaguely familiar. When she heard the quick flap of wings behind her, Samus's mind concluded her location with chilling fright._

_Sector 3. Pyrosphere. Bottle Ship. Magma Eruption Chamber._

_She turned around, her blue eyes staring up into the darkness. A pair of glowing green eyes met her terrified gaze._

_**Sleep I bring, o' torturous sleep...**_

_Samus Aran. The woman who survived. Come to die..._

_**Death I bring, o' glorious death...**_

_Lord Ridley. The dragon who lived. Come to kill..._

_She was paralyzed to the spot, one hand over her pregnant belly, unable to move as the draconic form of Ridley almost gracefully flew down to the platform to greet her. As he landed and saw the bounty hunter's terrified expression, his reptilian visage twisted into a cruel, almost sadistic smile, exposing all of his teeth so as to frighten Samus even more, which he succeeded in doing as she took a quick step back._

"_**Well, well."**__ Ridley began in gleeful, mocking tone, "__**Looks like the Hunter has been busy, hasn't she? Raising a spawn in order that you might teach them to kill me on your behalf because you are too frightened of me? Keeping it in the family, eh, Samus?" **__The Space Pirate's voice couldn't have dripped with more sarcasm._

_Her fear turned to anger at the dragon's mocking, and she retorted back wrathfully: "__**I'm not scared of you, Ridley! Besides, you are dead! The Queen Metroid drained the life from you on the Bottle Ship years ago! I saw your body!"**_

"_**Before you came back, yes, but after?"**__His smile became sly and devious. __**"No. Your precious Federation took it away. They only need experiment on my dead husk once and I can be reborn again, and I will find you, Samus Aran! You and your child both! You will both die!"**_

"_**N-no! I don't believe you!"**__ Samus took another step back._

"_**Oh, you do. I know you do. I can see it in your eyes, Hunter."**_

"_**You are dead!"**_

"_**I'm never truly dead, Samus."**__ Ridley's tone changed to a sickeningly sweet one as he addressed her, before reverting back to the devious one from before. __**"Not while I exist in your memory, and continue to haunt your dreams so; not while I continue to instil fear in your heart even after my destruction..." **__The Space Pirate drooled slightly. He was enjoying this._

"_**I already told you, I'm not scared of you!"**__ Samus's voice became so high pitched she almost squeaked._

"_**Haha!"**__ Ridley roared with laughter. "__**Could have fooled me, Hunter!"**_

_He began to stalk slowly towards her, forcing her to back up more until she reached the platform's edge. She gasped in surprise when she found she could no longer move back._

"_**Nowhere left to run, Hunter!"**__ He continued to jeer. __**"Samus Aran. The woman who survived. Come to die..."**_

_He continued to slowly approach Samus's frozen form, still speaking to her in the same tone._

"_**Lord Ridley. The dragon who lived. Come to kill..."**_

_The bounty hunter was shaking now, eliciting an even broader smile from Ridley. She glanced behind her, as if considering jumping to end this torture herself._

"_**Sleep I bring, o' torturous sleep. Death I bring, o' glorious death!"**_

_He was mere feet from her now, the end of his long snout almost touching her face. He exhaled a gust of hot air from his nostrils._

"_**And the time shall come, dear Samus, when the Hunter shall become the hunted, and her prey once more shall be the predator!"**_

_He roared with laughter once again, swinging his barbed tail at her, his roar of laughter turning to one of elation and triumph when he felt his tail connecting with Samus's body, sending her flying off the platform and hurtling towards the lava below.__She hadn't even tried to move to dodge his attack; indeed, she couldn't. The blow took all the breath from her, hazing her vision. Samus wasn't really aware she was falling until she felt her body temperature soar and the lava was nearly upon her. She let out a scream, before curling into a ball, and she sobbed into her arms. There was a sudden burning sensation, a bright white light which was followed by eternal darkness, and she knew no more..._

_**Death I bring, o' glorious death; Samus Aran...Come to die!

* * *

**_

Samus awoke in a flash, sitting bolt upright in her bed. Well, as bolt upright as her enlarged form would allow, anyway. Sweat was pouring off her face, and she was breathing hard, desperately trying to calm herself; she did not need to stress.

A dream; a horrific nightmare. Sometimes she hated sleeping.

Samus rose, ignoring a slight pain she now had in her side and went to go take a warm shower to wake herself up again. Once that was done and she was dressed again, she set about tidying a few things up to amuse herself, having little else to entertain her. As she came to make the bed however, she noticed her breath had become unconsciously faster and the pain that had felt before had spread around the lower half of her body. The next thing Samus knew, she found she couldn't move much at all! She drew in a sharp breath before collapsing onto the bed, clutching her swollen abdomen. Something wasn't right – instinct was screaming that much at her.

"_If anything happens, __**call **__me, or else get a message to me." _

Adam's words to her before he left for work swirled in her head. Did this qualify as something happening? It was probably just cramps, Samus kept telling herself, and it would go away. But after five minutes of sitting on the bed, the pain still had not subsided; if anything, it had gotten a lot worse, to the point where she really was unable to move except to curl in a ball and rock herself back and forth. So when the sound of a computerised beep, signalling that yet another person had come to see her, filled her ears again, it was a welcome relief.

"Enter..." Samus responded feebly. She didn't care who it was at the door; she badly needed help, and her only hope was her latest visitor.


	6. Chapter 6

**Fading Dream Pt. 6**

**Sorry for not uploading for like FOREVER. And I don't really have an excuse other than my writing muse was dead. Very dead. But don't worry, I have an awesome surprise planned for the epilogue. Well, maybe not awesome...You'll see.**

**Also, if there are any mistakes, typos etc. forgive me. I just wanted to upload this quickly. If there's anything major, just say and I'll sort it out.  
**

**

* * *

**

Anthony walked down a corridor of the GF Headquarters, glancing out a large window to the sun which was setting magnificently behind the skyline of the city. He hadn't seen many people while walking, but he had passed Madeline, who caught up with him for about five minutes before remarking she was going to visit Samus, which had pleasantly surprised him, as he himself had not seen her for a couple of months now. He didn't think she would still be here. Then again, given her condition the last time he saw her, Anthony should have guessed she wouldn't be going anywhere fast. After watching Madeline walk away from him, he decided he would go visit the bounty hunter himself at dusk.

As the sun finally dipped behind the tall skyscrapers, Anthony decided to make his way to Samus's quarters, which weren't far from his current location, and he made it there in about 5 minutes. He knew, if his calculations were correct, she'd be pretty close to her due date now. But Anthony wasn't too worried; he knew Samus could take care of herself, or Adam would, if his suspicions about them being together were true. So, then, when he tapped the computer outside Samus's door and all he heard was laboured breathing and a feeble 'Enter...' in response, naturally he became concerned, and wasted no time in entering her quarters.

What Anthony happened upon startled him; Samus was curled up at the head of her bed, backed up right into the corner of the wall, head on her left arm and her right on her swollen belly, rocking slowly back and forth. Even without seeing her face, he could tell something was wrong, and he hoped it wasn't what he thought it was.

"Princess?" He addressed her gently, sitting down beside her and lightly touching one of her shoulders with a hand. "Are you all right?" As soon as he asked the question, he mentally punched himself; of course she wasn't all right!

As expected, Anthony felt her shake her head weakly, but his ears picked up something else; the sound of muffled sobbing. Samus was...crying? He wore a look of sympathy on his face. He had never seen her cry before, and judging by the way she was curled up, Anthony guessed she was in a lot of pain. Unable to think of a better way of comforting the bounty hunter, he pulled her close to him.

"It'll be all right, Princess." He whispered to her in a calm tone.

"The baby..." Samus spoke for the first time since Anthony had arrived in her quarters. "Anthony, I need Adam here, please...!" Another wave of pain cut her off midsentence.

"Don't worry, I'll call him. Just hang in there." He rose, striding over to the communications computer and tapping a few things on the touch screen. It wasn't long before he was in conversation with someone else, though who it was, Samus had no idea, but it wasn't Adam. "Hello? This Captain Anthony Higgs. Can I speak to Commander Adam Malkovich? He's in a meeting? Can you tell him he's needed back in his quarters? I understand the meeting he's in is important, but this is an emergency! Ok, thank you." He returned back to Samus's side.

"Well?" She asked him weakly.

"A message has been sent to him. He should be here soon."

"Thank you." She nodded gratefully, before yet more pain caused her to curl up even tighter. Anthony once again wore a sympathetic look.

"Hang in there, Princess." He told her. "Hang in there."

* * *

It had been half an hour now, with still no sign of Adam. Both Samus and Anthony were watching the door expectantly, wondering when he was going to show up, when the bounty hunter managed to uncurl herself and rise awkwardly to her feet. Her movement caused Anthony to stare at her in alarm, which turned to concern when she began pacing about the room restlessly, both hands pressed on her huge belly.

"Samus, calm down!" He neglected to use the nickname he gave her in order to get his seriousness across. "He'll be here soon, don't you worry! Now come sit back down."

"This pacing isn't for me..." She grunted at him, almost moodily. "This is for the baby!" She continued to pace back and forth.

"Nevertheless, you are making me anxious..." Anthony was forced to put his reply on hold when Samus let out a pained scream and started to sway. Rising up quickly, he managed to steady her just in time. "All right, time to come and sit back down, I think."

He guided her carefully back to where she was before. Samus drew her knees up and leaned on the wall behind her, but didn't curl up like before. She hung her head, and drew in a sharp breath.

"Where's Adam? I _need _him!" Samus whimpered, close to tears.

"He's on his way, Princess. He'll be here real soon, I promise."

"What if he doesn't make it?"

"Don't worry. He'll make it." He assured her. "Just hold tight a little longer."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Adam still hadn't showed up, and Samus was in so much pain from her contractions that Anthony could hardly bear to watch her. When she let out another pained moan, he decided enough was enough.

"All right, I'm taking you to the medical bay." He stated to her.

"No!" she let out a cry of protest, her pain adding power to her voice, "We aren't going without Adam!" She pulled herself into a ball again, breathing heavily.

Anthony hung his head, defeated, until a hiss of air caused him to raise his head. A newcomer entered the quarters, and went to sit immediately by Samus's side, drawing her into a comforting one-armed hug that had the almost immediate effect of calming her right down.

"It's all right Samus, I'm here now." Adam's voice drifted into the bounty hunter's ears.

Anthony sighed, mostly in relief but also in slight annoyance. _'I've been trying to keep her calm for nearly an hour and all the Commander had to do was walk in!' _He suppressed his annoyance. Just because Samus was now calm, it didn't mean she wasn't still going to potentially give birth on them both.

"Adam..." Samus mumbled quietly, "I'm having this baby..."

"I know Samus, I know." Adam spoke again, trying to remain calm for her sake. "Anthony, I might need your help getting her on her feet. She needs to get to the medical bay right now."

The Federation captain nodded, and was about to rise when another voice drifted into the room:

"I think it's a bit too late to be moving her anywhere."

All three of them flung their heads in the direction from which the voice had come from, each wearing different expressions. Adam didn't seem surprised at the newcomer, Anthony was confused, and, despite her pain, Samus managed a smile.

"Madeline...ooof." She breathed through yet another contraction as her friend once more entered the room, before kneeling beside her.

"How are you feeling?" She asked Samus gently.

"Other than being in labour..." She responded breathlessly, "I'm fine I suppose..." The bounty hunter let out another grunt, which turned into a gasp of shock when she felt something warm and wet trickle down her thighs. "_Madeline!_ I think my waters have broken..." She almost squeaked out the warning.

"Well, we definitely aren't going anywhere now, then." Madeline confirmed, before going into command mode. "All right, Adam, can you help me ease Samus onto the floor? And Anthony, can you stop looking like a gawking fish and go make yourself useful? We need towels in here!"

Despite her pain, another smile was forced from Samus. The sight of Madeline ordering two men about was beautiful and rather comical. Had she been in less pain, she might well have burst out laughing as Anthony snapped out of his haze and obeyed Madeline's command rather quickly. All too fast, her smile faded away as another contraction tore through her, before she felt cold metal grip one of her shoulders, and a gloved hand grip just above her elbow. Another pair of hands gripped her other arm in similar fashion, and Samus felt herself being eased slowly to the ground with her back leaning against her bed. Other than the fact her back was resting on a hard bed post, she felt a lot more comfortable and found that she could breathe a lot easier. She then felt something soft being draped over her shoulders, and Samus suddenly found it increasingly difficult to keep awake. Were it not for her pain, she knew she would have drifted off by now. Indeed, pain was useful in some situations.

"It'll all be over soon, Samus." Once more, she felt her lover's artificial hand grip her shoulder gently.

Somehow, she found his grip relaxing as she exhaled heavily. Wrapping her own fingers around those resting on her shoulder, Samus squeezed Adam's hand tightly as yet more pain threatened to brew up within her body.

Their child could sure pick its moments.

* * *

A couple of hours later, and the foursome were still stuck in Samus and Adam's private quarters, all very much involved in aiding the former to deliver her child safely into the world; a task that was so far proving to be rather difficult, not only because the child was reluctant to enter the world, but also because Samus's efforts were now draining her of her strength. The Chozo may have granted her enhanced endurance and stamina, but even _she _had her limits, and she had nearly reached them. Samus knew she would not be able to hold out much longer, and Adam - who was still by her side, as he could not move because of the strength of his love's grip upon his hand – could sense she was starting to tire, and squeezed her hand in encouragement.

"Just hold out a little longer. You are doing great!" He whispered encouragement into her ear, but it didn't have much effect on the struggling bounty hunter.

"Adam...I can't..." She spoke lightly, her eyes closing in exhaustion.

"Samus, you've got to keep awake!" Adam began to shake her lightly, a faint hint of desperation in his voice. "Samus!"

His second outcry startled both Madeline and Anthony momentarily, and while the former resumed acting as Samus's midwife for her, the latter began to make himself more useful by aiding Adam in making sure that Samus did not fall asleep.

"Princess, just a little bit more." Anthony spoke softly, offering one of his hands, which she took weakly, nodding at him. Adam gave him a grateful nod before both men stared at Madeline for instruction, their faces grim, but determined.

"You ready, Samus?" She asked, receiving a slight nod in reply. "Then on my count; one, two, three, push!"

* * *

It wasn't long before, finally, Samus's child entered the world, her high pitched cries filling the quarters. Awash with emotion, Samus cradled the newborn close her chest, while Adam hugged them both close to him. Madeline was smiling as she cleaned the room up a little, and Anthony was congratulating the new parents.

"That's one amazing daughter you have there." The captain was speaking in an excited tone to both Samus and Adam. "So, what are you going to call her?"

Both bounty hunter and commander gazed at each other momentarily, almost as if trying to read the other's thoughts. After what seemed forever, Samus broke from Adam's gaze and turned her head to Anthony once more.

"Siria." She replied back simply.

"Siria, huh?" Anthony's smile broadened slightly. "Well, Siria, welcome to the world."

* * *

**A/N: Siria is pronounced "Seer-rye-ah" or "Seer-ray-uh" depending on accent. I usually go with the former, but either is acceptable. I based it upon the name of the brightest star, Sirius, which I think comes from the Greek for "bright/burning one" or something like that.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Fading Dream Pt. 7**

**Man, this was supposed to be done at Christmas, then I got badly ill. But here it is, last day (or first day, if your GMT or more) of the year, Fading Dream is DONE. Not quite sure what next. Probably updating stuff.**

**

* * *

**

_Samus's log._

_Stardate: Twenty-five of the Twelfth, Thirty Fifty._

_Galactic Federation Headquarters._

_Entry Thirty-six._

_It seemed like forever and a day ago now since Siria was born, yet I remember it all as though it happened only yesterday. Right now, she's happily opening presents with Adam – a tradition which is called "Christmas", apparently. I've never been around for this "Christmas", so all this decorating, bright colours, and general cheer...it's all new to me. I don't think the Chozo ever celebrated this tradition, so it must be a human thing. Personally, I don't get why we are celebrating. Madeline explained it comes from a really old Christian tradition of celebrating the coming of their Saviour, which she said happened over three thousand years ago now. After that, I was left really confused. I knew very few people in the Federation who were religious, so how had this religious festival evolved into this cheerful celebration for all? It was really vexing me..._

_...Until Anthony came to see the three of us, that is. He was dressed in this ridiculous red and white outfit, with a long, fluffy white beard and black boots. Never had I laughed so hard and so long in my life. He gave Siria a parcel, the very same one she has just finished getting into as of this moment, bid the three of us 'Merry Christmas' and left, presumably to go give gifts to everyone in that ridiculous outfit. I smiled as he had exited, realising that it didn't matter how the tradition of Christmas had evolved. If you wanted to be a part of it, then nothing was going to stop you. This was later proved only moments before we came back here and I started this log, when we went to find something to eat, and I saw even __**alien**__ species cracking Christmas jokes with one another... _

_Well, Adam and Siria are asking me to join them now, so I'll have to end this here. I'll finish this off later, when both of them are asleep._

_Christmas...I guess I'll have to learn as I celebrate it, won't I?

* * *

_

After putting four year old Siria to bed and watching her drift to sleep, Samus quietly left the quarters to go meet Adam, who told her he would be waiting in the corridor for her. She had no idea what he was planning, but knew he was definitely up to something, considering he had also told her to put something warm on as well. As she pulled on her long, green jacket and walked to the designated meeting point, she felt the soft touch of a hand grabbing her arm. Without needing to turn around, Samus knew who it was.

"Adam." She whispered his name, remaining completely motionless, forcing him to gently turn her around.

"You took your time. I was starting to think you weren't going to come." Adam cupped her cheek, proudly bowing his head so he could kiss her on the lips.

"Siria insisted I read her one of the stories from that book of myths you gave her before she went to bed, and the one she wanted me to read was fairly lengthy." Samus explained herself quickly.

"Oh, it's all right. I knew you'd turn up eventually." He let out a chuckle. "You are never far from a good mystery, after all."

"Speaking of which, why do I need something warm on?"

"Because, Samus, you and I are going outside."

"Down into the _city?_" Samus was taken by surprise. Despite having lived much of her life in the Federation Headquarters, never once had she ventured down into the city. And now Adam was taking her down there himself! "What about Siria?"

"Don't worry, I arranged it all beforehand. Madeline said she'd watch over her seeing as she has the day off. So just relax!" Adam held out an arm for her, a grin spreading from ear to ear.

Slightly unsure, Samus took his arm, linking hers through it, and the pair of them walked side by side, heading down to ground level and towards the city.

* * *

In very little time, the pair had made their way through the streets of the city to a surprisingly quiet and large park that wasn't too far from headquarters. Neither had spoken much during the journey. The only conversation came about when Samus asked Adam why it was so quiet in the park, to which he explained it was because of an invisible, sound suppressing force field that had been placed around the area. Her question answered, silence soon resumed, and it wasn't long before they made their way over to a bench that overlooked a lake for a rest. They sat there without saying a word until Samus started shivering and pulled herself closer to Adam, who surprised her by pulling away.

"I told you to put something warm on, didn't I?" He teased her.

"I didn't expect it to be _this_ cold out here!" She protested in reply. "C'mon, Adam, I'm freezing here."

"Oh all right. Because it's you," He tugged his jacket off and wrapped it around them both, before kissing her softly on the cheek, "and I love you, I suppose I can share this once."

She punched him lightly for being silly, but she didn't miss his smile, and she was soon snuggled right up close to him. He put an arm around her, drawing her closer to him, and Samus leant her head upon his chest so her ear rested over his beating heart. Its continuous hum relaxed her further.

_Never have I felt safer. Nothing could hurt me here..._

"What are thinking about, Lady?" Adam's voice cut her mind wandering short. She glanced up at him as he delicately rested his head on her own.

"Oh, nothing really." The bounty hunter let out in a contented sigh, smiling at the fact he had addressed her as 'Lady', something he hadn't done in a serious context since..._since the Bottle Ship ten years ago. Had it really been that long now? _Another sigh escaped her lips, something that didn't go unnoticed by her companion.

"Well, something's got you thinking." He continued to poke at her, and Samus knew from previous conversations similar to this that he wasn't going to drop the subject any time soon.

"I was just thinking...about us, really. All we've been through, together and alone, and now here we are, sat on a bench, overlooking a frozen lake. I've never felt more safe, more at peace, in all my life."

Suddenly, a daring, almost devilish, smile appeared on Adam's lips. "You up for a bit of ice skating, Samus?"

Her eyes widened in shock and she pulled away from him. "Are you _insane?_ We'll fall straight through!"

"No we won't. I asked the park ranger to check the ice."

"So that's where you were when I was putting Siria to bed!"

"Among places, yes." Adam pulled his coat back over himself, before rising off the bench and offering Samus his artificial hand. "You coming, or not?"

Unable to resist the temptation, she gratefully took his hand and was soon hauled up. This was the most danger she was going to be for a while, so she might as well enjoy it while it lasted. In a few seconds, the couple were dancing (or, in Adam's case, messing around) on the ice. Samus threw her head back and laughed when she saw that he couldn't keep his footing, and effortlessly glided over to him, grabbing him as he fell.

"Still think this was a great idea?" She asked him, kissing him on the lips before he could form a reply.

Even after she broke this kiss, he still didn't form a reply. Instead his gaze was fixed towards the sky. "Samus, look..."

She half expected some playful trick, but when she followed his gaze, she was pleasantly surprised to see snow falling down from the sky. A single flake settled on the end of her nose.

"Oh, this is perfect, Adam! I don't think this could be much better!" Samus exclaimed, gasping in awe. "It is truly wonderful..." She turned her head back to Adam, only to find he wasn't stood next to her anymore. "Adam...?"

She heard a shuffle somewhere below her, and her eyes were soon averted downwards, where she found Adam kneeling on one knee.

"What are you _doing?_" She raised an eyebrow at him. She had seen some pretty strange gestures in her lifetime, mostly from alien life forms, but this _human _gesture – at least, she _thought _it originated within humanity, seeing how she never remembered the _Chozo _ever doing such a gesture – was one she had never encountered before, and it startled her. Samus was more shocked when Adam began to bow; a gesture she did know. But why did he feel the need to show her respect? That's what a bow normally meant. They were equal, weren't they?

"Samus Aran?" She heard her name emerge hesitantly from his lips, and knew nothing would follow until she replied. Her name _was _the question.

"Yes, Adam?" The bounty hunter replied, equally, if not more so, unsure as he.

"Will you do the honour of making me the happiest man alive and marry me?" Adam raised his head at last, his grey eyes meeting her own as he offered her a ring in his hand. Those stern, grey eyes with the faintest hint of silver...

_**Wait, silver?**_

No. Tears. He was crying.

_**But...why?

* * *

**_

_Samus's log._

_Stardate: As previous._

_Galactic Federation Headquarters._

_Entry Continuation._

_So, where was I? Ah yes. I left by saying that I'd learn about Christmas 'on the job', as it were. I've come to the conclusion that it is not such a bad little festival after all, even if all the decorating and dressing up is a tad ridiculous. Ah well, all part of the fun I suppose, right..?_

Samus trailed off slightly as she turned back to look at Adam. He was fast asleep on their bed. His face, she noted before he rolled over, looked peaceful.

_Adam. Dozing away in his own little world, probably thinking about what about what he asked me in the park. You know, I've not even given him an answer yet. I suppose he'll understand, but I still feel guilty about it. Why couldn't I answer him there and then? It's not like I have anyone else who cares for me in that regard. Goodness, he's even fathered my daughter. Yet...why...couldn't I answer him?_

Samus fiddled absentmindedly with the engagement ring Adam had offered her, which he had left on the desk she was sat at before continuing with her log:

_I suppose, it was a bit of a surprise, really. No-one's ever made that kind of offer to me before. Then again, as I said before, he has fathered my child, so...I guess marriage was the next thing on the cards..._

Samus stopped talking abruptly, her sapphire eyes locked onto the ring being twisted idly in her fingers.

"What's this...? Chozo designs...?" She brought the ring up to eye level for closer inspection. It was made out of some strange, blue silver metal with the colours of her Varia Suit running through it like veins. There was a bird face emblem which bulged out of the ring. There were also Chozo hieroglyphs engraved in the ring. She didn't remember much of the Chozo writings, but one symbol on the ring stuck out like a sore thumb.

The Newborn. _Herself._

Samus gazed at Adam once more. Where on _earth_ had he acquired _this?_

That was when she noticed the eye of the bird's face begin to glow, and Samus suddenly found herself in a flashback...

"_I was just wondering, where I can get some fuel for my ship?" Adam was asking some humanoid reptilian for some fuel._

"_If ya got the money..." The creature grunted back at him._

"_I've not got anything, though..."_

"_Then there's ya answer! No, g'way an' stop pesterin' me." The creature jeered, before turning back to another customer._

_Samus could see Adam visibly sighing. "I'll never make it back to her...assuming she's still alive, that is. No...she'll be alive! But...I still won't make it back."_

"_I wouldn't lose hope just yet..." A cloaked figure approached Adam, thrusting two objects into his hands._

"_Who...who are you?"_

"_You seek out our last hope, do you not? Trust me, she is alive, and well." The cloaked figure spoke again. "One object there is your way out of here. The other...I wish you to give it to her when the time is special, and just right."_

_Adam looked down at what he had been given. One thing was a load of coins, and the other was the very same ring that Samus herself was now holding._

"_Wait! You're...!" But as he called after the figure, he found that it had disappeared, and the flashback ended..._

A Chozo. A Chozo had given this ring to him. She now had tears in her eyes, and understood now why Adam was crying before.

It wasn't because he was sad, like she thought he was. It was because she was happy. Just as she was now for having been able to see that.

_End log._

She didn't feel like finishing that log entry now. All she cared to do was to curl up by Adam's side and sleep by him. Which is exactly what Samus did, leaning her head on his shoulder and placing both her hands on his before resting them on his chest.

"Hey, Adam? You awake?" She whispered gently to him.

"Am now." He replied back, a little groggy. "What is it?"

Samus kissed him on the cheek. "Yes."

"What?" Adam raised a questioning eyebrow.

"To your question in the park. Yes."

A smile beamed from his face as he placed the ring in her hand on her finger, before turning her around and holding her close to him.

"Samus, I truly, deeply...love you."

"And I love you too." She returned the gesture, before he swiftly, yet delicately, captured her lips with his own. As he did so, Samus couldn't help but smile in the back of her mind.

She never thought it would turn out like this after he left her in the Bottle Ship nigh on ten years ago. Not even in the wildest pits of her imagination.

_**Though perhaps once...in a fading dream...**_


End file.
